Chapter 57 - First Blood

Inside UA High.

Today was a particularly quiet day for UA, with a severe lack of students, in fact, there were no students at all!

After yesterday's scandalous event, UA had to take measures to help relieve the stress those students face by giving them some time to spend with their families, friends, or by themselves. UA was no stranger to events like this, and they had faced incidents similar to yesterday numerous times in the past.

They can even say that the event that transpired in USJ was one of the better ones all things considered. No students were harmed, no teachers had to risk their life, and one student, in particular, displayed shocking achievements.

The only thing that gave them a bit of a fright was that one accidental murder, but the Japanese government displayed its support and put that issue under cover, especially with Ryuji's mysterious license to kill issued by the United Nations.

In a way, it's not an issue but more so a pesky little problem. The media was already hounding UA's reputation in a pitiful attempt to take them down, but it was no use, especially with Principal Nezu taking the lead.

While a rat he may be, none can doubt his intelligence.

"What should we do?" Aizawa leaned on his chair and rubbed his tired eyes. Even though Ryuji did allow him to use his Quirk without stopping, it still strained him and now he was facing the repercussions of yesterday's exhausting event.

"It's simple." Principal Nezu wore a confident smile and tapped the screen beside him. "We'll push forward with the sports festival."

"The sports festival?" All Might, in his non-Quirk form, rubbed his chin. "Hmm, it's definitely a viable method without much effort on our part."

"Indeed. The sports festival is already going to happen a month later, and we're just going to push it forward by a bit so that our students are given enough time to practice while still dealing with those nosy people as quickly as possible." Principal Nezu explained in detail.

"But, won't it disrupt their schedules if we were to even push it forward by a week?" Aizawa gave rise to a small problem. The people he referred to were obviously one of the major audiences of the sports festival—pro heroes!

UA's sports festival wasn't just for students to have fun and for the normal populace to enjoy a grand show, it was a way for pro heroes to scout for budding sprouts that showed potential. In due time, those sprouts would become blooming flowers, and start working under them as interns in their agencies!

The schedule of the sports festival had remained the same for a long time, and while it had been changed here and there, the push they are planning on doing is one of the bigger and more abrupt ones.

"Don't worry about that. This year's batch is exemplary and special compared to before, and many pro heroes have already heard of them, so many would instead go out of their way to make time for themselves to attend our event."

"We present more value compared to recent times, so they're the ones who'll have to adjust rather than us this time." Principal Nezu gave a light laugh and enlightened the two confused teachers.

"So, when would that be?" All Might asked.

"Hmm…" Principal Nezu looked at the calendar placed on the wall beside him and snapped his fingers.

"The sports festival would start at—"

…

"So, we have less than a month left to whip you two into shape, huh?" Ryuji looked back as his golden robes fluttered with the cool gusts of wind.

He stared at the two in front of him, two walking piles of money that glistened with a precious luster of wealth and fortune.

Tenya straightened his back upon locking eyes with Ryuji and puffed up his chest. Momo stiffened up for a bit and twiddled her fingers under his intense gaze.

Then, Tenya raised his hand to the sky.

"Go on, junior disciple Tenya." Ryuji nodded his head.

"Where are Midoriya-san and Bakugo-san? I would have liked to see how they train compared to us," Tenya asked with a curious tone.

Momo also had the same questions bubbling in her mind, but she felt that she wasn't that close to Ryuji and shouldn't ask questions like that.

"Good question!" Ryuji chuckled and clasped his hands together. "That is the case because their full power is literally too dangerous. They're actually somewhere in the ocean right now training at full power, although we do have the permission to use those random islands from the government with a little bit of insider connection, so it's not illegal."

The connection they were naturally referring to were of course the Symbol of Peace and one of the world's greatest heroes, All Might! All it took was a bit of effort and they could use a lot of resources to train themselves, after all, the Japanese government was more than willing to invest in these three shining stars that possessed vast potential.

'They're that strong?' Momo was internally shocked before quickly accepting what Ryuji said as facts. She herself has witnessed the terrifying might those two possessed and could only begin to imagine just what kind of catastrophic damage they could cause to the surrounding environment if they didn't care about the consequences of their full power.

"Okay, no more questions, I still have to do some work later after this so I'll start with the basics."

"First, let me introduce to you two the three parameters that we'll have to train to unlock our full potential: Mind, Body, and Quirk!"

"A strong Mind can allow us to better utilize our Body and Quirk, and vice versa times two."

"Basically, those three things are gonna be what we'll have to dedicate all of our efforts into developing. If even any one of those areas are lacking, then you'll soon find out that you're gonna be left in the dust by those who have built upon our fundamentals."

"And, the special thing about our sect is that both Body and Mind are practically an easy thing to develop with me around, more specifically, our sect's wondrous, mystical, otherworldly…" Ryuji slowly pulled out a strange white pill from his pockets. "DRUG!"

"D-Drug?" Momo was taken aback.

"You mean those…" Tenya's eyes darkened. "Drugs?"

"Of course not!" Ryuji rolled his eyes. "We're not some addicts, okay? We're a dignified sect for God's sake."

"And heck, this shit is cheaper than those drugs and is only like 100 yen per pill." Ryuji took out a container of those pills and shook it in front of the two.

"This thing is practically pure calorie, protein, and all other macros you'll ever need. Digest one, and with my Quirk, you'll basically be on steroids for a whole day! The more you digest in one single day, the stronger the efficacy, though I don't recommend using more than ten since you'll probably build up fat by that point or overtax your cells. Maybe it's different for Momo since she does have an actual need for fat."

"So, the first step in your path to greatness is to consume drugs!"

…

Yuga walked down a long flight of shadowy, dark stairs. Normally, he would be scared shitless, his heart racing and beating faster than a race car, but his mind as of now was as calm as an unmoving lake. He could think clearly, with no fear to be felt nor any irrational decisions to be made.

Even though he wore a frightened Face and there was a little hop to each of his steps, it was only him acting. He could already feel the benefits of becoming a double agent for Hidden Order.

'So what if I have my entire life indebted to another person, that's already the case with All for One, and I'd rather end this bastard than work for him as a pawn!'

Not a single sliver of his anger appeared on his face as he perfectly acted to the beat. From now on, even a single mistake can cost him his life, and he'll make sure to follow through with Leader's plan and succeed.

As he walked with slow and unharmonious steps, they finally arrived at the end of the long flight of stairs and stopped right in front of a strange door filled with dents and metallic scars. Dried-up blood coated around the edges of the door, especially around the lower part of its frame.

Yuga wore an alarmed face, but his mind was as calm as ever.

Kurogiri looked back at Yuga for a second before turning his gaze to the door once more. He lightly grabbed the door handle and twisted it with an audible click. The door opened with the sound of creaky metal, and the dimly lit room behind it revealed itself to them.

Blood was splattered all over the walls and strange cages were all over the place. Numerous pair of eyes stared at him with fear and rage, with claw marks and craters covering the walls and floors.

Then, in the middle of the room, a lone monitor stood with a masked face showing on its screen. It was All for One, the Symbol of Fear, and one of the world's most fearsome villains.

…

All for One observed Yuga Aoyama through the screen with an intrigued grin behind his emotionless mask. He leaned back on his chair with a straight back and thought, 'So, it seems like the ambition in his heart grew.'

'Heh, the saying "a tiger wouldn't give birth to a kitten" is indeed true. He's becoming more like his father already.' All for One calmly analyzed. The events yesterday were still fresh in his mind.

After the sudden death of his successor and protege, Yuga took the lead and requested to be an official part of the League of Villains, while subtly indicating his wish and ambitions to become the replacement for Shigaraki. Even though he was fearful and stuttering, All for One was moved by the blazing fire he felt from the young man's soul.

He couldn't describe what he felt, but it was something he was familiar with. It's the aura of a leader, a figure born to lead and sway the hearts of many, a person whose presence can shine as bright as the sun in the endless darkness.

It was something Shigaraki lacked; the drive to move forward and the relentless willpower to strive for greater heights. His previous successor relied solely on hate and an obsessive desire, rather than a controllable will that had the courage to strike when the iron was hot.

Although Yuga was weak and pitiful when it came to potential and might, it was not a problem for All for One. If he could create a Nomu that can deal with pro heroes with ease, and create an entity like Kurogiri, then he could confidently deal with that issue with enough time and resources.

So, without the time to lament about the death of his previous successor, All for One was now looking forward to what this newcomer could bring to the table, and see if he is worthy of the grand aspirations he hold.

Yuga walked forward with slow and steady steps, his eyes landing on a strange mangled figure with multiple arms and bloated legs. The humanoid thing had strange green skin filled with puss underneath, and blood flowed through the cracks on its body.

A horrid stench wafted through the air from its rotting yet living body. It shrieked and squirmed like a grotesque bug, and the puss underneath its skin created a puddle of blood and yellow ooze on the ground.

On that disgusting puddle of horror, there lay a knife coated in the same revolting liquid.

"Go on…" All for One muttered through the monitor.

Yuga gritted his teeth and his sickened gaze turned resolute. But, this was all for show. His mind didn't feel an inch of disgust and fear upon seeing the failed Nomu on the ground, and he instead acted his role to the tee.

His legs shook as he leaned forward to grab the knife coated in sticky green liquid. He lifted it up with trembling arms, but his eyes shone with an undying flame.

He took a deep breath, as he looked back at the failed Nomu in the eye, he tightened his grip on the knife's handle and moved forward in one swift motion.

Pswhick.

The knife stabbed deep into the head of the Nomu as he aimed straight for its exposed brain, and as grayish green brain matter splattered out onto his face, Yuga swiftly retreated and covered his mouth.

Guwak!

He puked all over the floor, his eyes hazy and his whole body shook from his first blood.

All for One watched from the side, and he leaned forward with the same pressuring silence. "Good…"

As he muttered with a hint of delight in his voice, a pair of golden eyes lightly watched from the shadowy corners of the decrepit room, and a toothy smile glinted under the dim lights.

"Heh…" An inaudible chuckle was heard as the golden eyes disappeared into the endless darkness.

AN: This chapter has 2222 words.

Ryuji's such a nosy little motherfucker if you think about it. He's always there, right beside you, invisible and hidden right below your nose.

Anyways, I fucking hate Ryuji because he's no way too powerful for Arc 3. Bro, Eric's gonna need to have some plot armor to contend with Arc 3 Ryuji Anwir because this man would soon become a menace. Fuck me and my realistic depictions of what someone with a brain can do in another world if they have plot armor, no morals, and an insatiable thirst to become all-powerful.

(June 14, 2023 - 566th day of writing)